Facts

UNFIT FOR DUTY

The newspaper's 2011 series found that Opa-Locka Sgt. German Bosque had been in trouble more than any other Florida officer — fired five times, arrested three times and investigated in more than 40 cases by internal affairs.

Bosque has been caught splitting a man's lip with a head butt and causing a wound to another person with a leg sweep and takedown. He has defied direct orders, lied to supervisors, falsified police reports and been accused of domestic violence and stalking. During an inspection of his patrol car, his supervisors found a counterfeit $20 bill, cocaine and crack pipes.

When confronted with these findings by a reporter and told that he had been investigated by the state more often than any other active officer, Bosque was elated.

After the Herald-Tribune published the series, “Unfit for Duty,” state law enforcement agents keyed in on one particular offense: a 2011 case in which Bosque punched a man and threw him in a holding cell when he tried to file a formal complaint.

Korey Davis says Bosque punched him through a car window while investigating a domestic violence case. When Davis later showed up at the Opa-Locka Police Department to complain, Bosque removed him from the lobby, put him in handcuffs and placed him in a holding cell for 14 minutes.

A judge can sentence Bosque to anything from probation to 10 years in state prison.

Before the trial began, prosecutor Sandra Miller-Batiste tried to force two Herald-Tribune reporters and a photographer to testify against Bosque.

The newspaper fought the subpoenas and a judge threw them out.

Miller-Batiste told the Miami Herald that the conviction was “bittersweet.”

“It's never a good thing when you have to take down a police officer,” she said.

<p>A sergeant who was the centerpiece of a Herald-Tribune investigation on police misconduct has been convicted of felony false imprisonment and witness tampering and now faces 10 years in prison. </p><p>The newspaper's 2011 series found that Opa-Locka Sgt. German Bosque had been in trouble more than any other Florida officer — fired five times, arrested three times and investigated in more than 40 cases by internal affairs.</p><p>Bosque has been caught splitting a man's lip with a head butt and causing a wound to another person with a leg sweep and takedown. He has defied direct orders, lied to supervisors, falsified police reports and been accused of domestic violence and stalking. During an inspection of his patrol car, his supervisors found a counterfeit $20 bill, cocaine and crack pipes.</p><p>When confronted with these findings by a reporter and told that he had been investigated by the state more often than any other active officer, Bosque was elated.</p><p>“I can't believe that,” he said. “I'm not trying to smile. I just . . . damn!”</p><p>After the Herald-Tribune published the series, “Unfit for Duty,” state law enforcement agents keyed in on one particular offense: a 2011 case in which Bosque punched a man and threw him in a holding cell when he tried to file a formal complaint.</p><p>Korey Davis says Bosque punched him through a car window while investigating a domestic violence case. When Davis later showed up at the Opa-Locka Police Department to complain, Bosque removed him from the lobby, put him in handcuffs and placed him in a holding cell for 14 minutes.</p><p>A judge can sentence Bosque to anything from probation to 10 years in state prison.</p><p>Before the trial began, prosecutor Sandra Miller-Batiste tried to force two Herald-Tribune reporters and a photographer to testify against Bosque.</p><p>The newspaper fought the subpoenas and a judge threw them out.</p><p>Miller-Batiste told the Miami Herald that the conviction was “bittersweet.”</p><p>“It's never a good thing when you have to take down a police officer,” she said.</p>